


Thor's Hammer?

by RedWind



Series: Tavern Tales [2]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Tall Tales, Treasure Hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-23 23:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12000471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedWind/pseuds/RedWind
Summary: Arrow and her Woolly Howl Pheonix have no idea of what lies ahead. Adventure in the mist? Death at every corner? Treasure? Hiccup's dragon training classes had no prepared her for this. Guess instincts count for everything. It could be worse.





	Thor's Hammer?

**Author's Note:**

> Trade with Arrowalker

Winter was alluring, holding a charm the other seasons did not possess, and that's why Arrow delighted in it. The air of mystery that surrounded the landscapes at this time was precisely why they were flying out in a blizzard. Pheonix was as pleased as she was, dodging mountains and stray ice balls with a content grin on her furry face. Neither had a clue of where they were headed, but it was the puzzle that intrigued Arrow. A mysterious artifact many traders had talked about at the market. An Asgardian weapon sent to the Archipelago by Thor himself. Rumors had said that it was his very hammer they had sent. 

Pheonix let out a thundering roar to signal her rider that land was below them. Arrow knew her dragon would not call out unless the weather got any worse. The Howl dove sharply, avoiding the curve of the mountain they planned to land on. Pebbles crunched under her boots, the damp smell of algae filled the cave, and she felt the trickle of water above her head. Pheonix growled low, her head shifting from corner to corner of the cave, as if something was there, watching them. Arrow did not blame her, something was off, and the ground did not feel as unyielding as she hoped. "It could be worse," Arrow regarded the cave with obvious disdain, shaking her head. 

Her boots made no noise on the round, despite the loose gravel. Even weirder, her dragon's heavy steps made no noise as well. "This just keeps getting weirder and weirder, first the weather, and now the cave," Arrow said under her breath. Pheonix hummed in agreement, her eyes still wary. The path in the cave led downward, where it got colder and colder, Arrow's breath started to look like puffs in the air. She could swear Pheonix had icicles hanging down on her chin. Other than that, the cave was mute, silent enough one could hear a pin drop on the ground. It was chilling in a way that made Arrow shake with nerves, and in turn, her dragon. 

The cavern grew aphotic, enough that Arrow had to slow to a gradual stop and place her hands on the cave walls, feeling the cracks in its stony embrace, letting it lead her. She knew something was watching her, Pheonix knew too, though she did not have to get her paws dirty to feel it. The dragon took her here for a reason, though she didn't like that reason. Arrow felt the cave walls become confining, Arrow and Pheonix started to feel compressed into each other, bumping up every so often. Her hands connected, and she knew it was a dead end. "You dropped me into an empty cave to find a dead end! I thought you were a weather dragon!" Arrow yelled, throwing her hands up in frustration. Pheonix let out a low apologetic growl, Arrow felt her paw the ground sadly. Sighing, she leaned in to wrap her arms around her dragon when the ground shook beneath her. Her predictions were correct, the ground was weak! 

Arrow felt the ground under her leave, and she was falling..falling..

Pheonix's tail collided with Arrow's head, causing bolts of chronic throbbing to rear its ugly hand in her head. She still had enough left in her to perceive that her dragon was trying to reach out for her and shield her, protect her as her dragon always had before. Arrow felt the frantic grasping of her dragon trying to pull her in close as they kept falling. Arrow had no idea how high the tunnel they were in was, everything was spinning and the world was fading. She could hear Pheonix's howls and the frenzied fumbling of wings as the Howl tried to move under her. Finally, she felt the softer texture of the Howl's brown scales envelop her as both crashed down on the ground, the breath knocked out from Arrow. Pheonix let out a grunt of pain as she rolled over and Arrow spun out in a whirl wind of force. Seemed that the force in the air still had reason to make her life harder. Her head was smarting, but other than that, her dragon seemed to break her fall fast enough. Her dragon! 

Arrow rushed over to her dragon, sliding a bit as she crashed down to the floor, her own injury stinging as she landed. Pheonix had moved to her side, where she landed on the ground. Minor cuts were all over her, but nothing was too bad or would take a while to heal. 

"Oh thank the gods," breathed Arrow, hugging her dragon so fiercely that Pheonix had to shake her off. "You're right, you're right, we must keep going." 

She took a gander at the hole they just came through, not surprised that it wasn't brighter up there as it was down here. This time however, the cave walls weren't so close, Arrow had stretched her arms out far enough to know that. Pheonix would have to lead her. Her dragon knew this as well as she did, though both anxious about it. It was still as moist as the tunnel they were in before, only more humid and sodden, it annoyed Arrow to no end. She was injured, both she and her dragon were on the verge of a panic attack, and the cave just had to be gross! She should've never trusted the merchants and the traders. They bring nothing but bad luck or false information. Her gut was telling her no, the one time she should've listened. Arrow was fuming, but fear outweighed anger, and soon enough, she let out a quiet sob and placed a weary hand on her dragon. Pheonix nudged her with her fuzzy head, leading her down the path and around another turn. The fifth one since they fell. She may have been lost in thought, but that didn't stop her from at least marking paths in case they needed to retrace their steps.

A florescent glow, similar to a Flightmare, materialized along the path, obstructing her view. 

_ Could this be it? Thor's hammer is real?   _

It couldn't be, Arrow sucked in a gasp, almost falling to her knees with joy. Pheonix bounced happily beside her, the glow giving her an almost amber color, warm and joyful and oh so sweet. It was a beautiful sight, just around the corner, the treasure was hers. Though her head still throbbed, she raced around the corner with almost a childlike glee. Arrow couldn't believe it, this wasn't a misleading journey after all! She punched the air and whooped in excitement, her dragon running ahead in joy, but Arrow could tell that even though both were energized, safety was still a top priority.

The corner came ever closer, close enough Arrow hindered herself to a slow jog, preparing herself. Once she rounded the corner, she caught Pheonix staring quizzically at the glowing object, her head tilted in confusion, a low hum in her throat was vibrating the cavern. Arrow ducked under her dragon's wing, smiling.

What laid on a well-constructed golden pedestal was not Thor's Hammer, but a parchment. How strange. It was a crudely drawn fist, but one finger was raised up. It took Arrow about two seconds to realize the paper was flipping her off. 

There was no treasure, and there wasn't Thor's Hammer. 

"Mother fuc-!" 


End file.
